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Only a few years ago, nearly every woman of child-bearing age had been viciously slaughtered at the hands of the Armada.
While the Ulfgard Home Forces gathered across the system, preparing to repel an invasion, the Armada launched a sneak attack on a helpless planet right next to Ulfgard. There was no time for the forces to return, and if the attack was successful, it would give the Armada the foothold it needed to target the rest of the system.
The civilian women of Ulfgard had all completed a mandatory military training, so the ones of fighting age rallied and headed off to face the Armada before it was too late.
They managed to buy enough time for the Ulfgard Home Forces to join the battle, but the cost was high. None of those women returned.
In the end, the Home Forces won the day, but everyone knew it was the women who were the real heroes.
Now all of Ulfgard had statues and memorials to The Women, as they were known. The mourning husbands and the kids who were left motherless were taught to be proud of the loved ones who gave everything to secure their freedom.
But pride was a poor substitute for a mother.
“Here we go,” the captain said, snapping her out of her thoughts as he activated the manual controls.
The craft began to descend more rapidly as they sailed over what felt like an endless stretch of woods.
Suddenly, the forest thinned and a massive pale house appeared in a huge meadow that was broken up by trees and flowers. The building looked almost like the pictures of Old Terra’s Greek architecture in the books at the library back home.
The craft hovered over a massive rectangular landing area a short distance from the building, and then touched down with a barely perceptible stop.
“You’re a good pilot,” she said without thinking and then felt her cheeks go hot.
Of course, he was a good pilot. He was the personal pilot for the Ruler of Ulfgard.
“Thank you,” he said, winking at her. “Best of luck to you. The family is great. I’m sure you’ll love them.”
She unbuckled her straps while he opened the hatch.
“I can help you with that,” he said, indicating her bag and the pretty potted plant Zanfredd had given to her as a going away present.
The bag didn’t hold much, just a change of clothes and the nanny manual she’d gotten from the agency at the end of her very brief training. It was called 132 Tenets of Childcare & Maintenance, and was full of gems like, “Choose your clients wisely.”
It was a little late for that.
“Oh, no, I’m fine,” she insisted, swinging the bag over her shoulder and clutching the plant in both hands. “Thank you very much for the ride, and the talk, too. I feel much more at home now.”
“I’m sure I’ll see you again soon enough,” the captain said.
Yasmine moved quickly down the stairs and across the lawn, her dark hair floating upward in the breeze that was kicked up when the craft lifted off again.
The house looked even bigger from the ground. It was hard to believe that it was actually a house at all.
She walked through a rose garden and past a fountain with golden fish swimming in the crystal-clear water.
Twelve stone statues flanked the open porch, as if they were guarding it. Some were male and some female. They reminded her of the books in the library too, but she couldn’t place why.
Some of the statues were naked and she tried not to be overly shocked or curious about their bodies. She was in a new place with a new culture. She would have to adapt, not the other way around.
When she reached the front doors, Yasmine shifted the plant to one arm and lifted her other hand to knock.
But the doors slid open before she could touch them.
“May I help you?” a big Bergalian security guard asked with a smile.
Yasmine had never seen a Bergalian in person before. She tried hard not to stare at the huge, furry man.
“I’m supposed to report to Mrs. Slaite,” she said, hoping he would know what she was talking about. His smile was welcoming enough, but he did have a blaster on his hip.
